NEW YORK, United States, Tuesday July 23, 2019 – Justice Francis Belle of Barbados and Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell of Trinidad and Tobago have been elected to serve seven-year terms on the United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) as half-time judges.
The two were among four judges elected by secret ballot at the recent 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, and their appointments took effect on July 10. The other two were Justice Rachel Sikwese of Malawi and Justice Margaret Tibulya of Uganda.
UNDT half-time judges serve on rotation in New York, USA; Geneva, Switzerland; and Nairobi, Kenya.
They are deployed up to a cumulative period of six months per year, as decided by the President based on the caseload and any judicial absences affecting the work of the Tribunal.
To be eligible for appointment as a judge to the Dispute Tribunal, candidates must be of high moral character and impartial; possess at least 10 years of judicial experience in the field of administrative law or the equivalent within one or more national jurisdictions; and be fluent, both orally and in writing, in English or French.
A total of 325 applications were received globally, 51 of which came from Latin America and the Caribbean. 96 candidates advanced to the written assessment stage and 23 were invited to interview with the Internal Justice Council at The Hague, Netherlands. Finally, seven candidates received the Council’s recommendation for consideration of an appointment by the General Assembly and four were appointed by the General Assembly.
Justice Belle has served as a High Court Judge for over 15-years. His judicial experience spans adjudication of criminal and civil matters, including Administrative and Employment Law actions. Justice Belle served as resident judge in Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Dominica; visiting judge in Anguilla and Montserrat with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) 2003-present. He periodically serves as acting Court of Appeal Judge with the ECSC and acting judge of the Cayman Islands Grand Court (2015-present).
Justice Donaldson-Honeywell currently serves as a Puisne Judge of the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, presiding in civil matters since 2015. She has also served as a Judicial Officer at the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago for several years and has held office as Solicitor General in the Ministry of the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago.
She has enjoyed an extensive and varied legal practice as an Attorney-at-Law and Judicial Officer in Jamaica; presiding in criminal trials and Preliminary Inquiries as a resident Magistrate, playing a pioneering role in emerging fields of securities law regulation and competition law regulation, and serving as Director of Legal Services and Enforcement at the Securities Commission.
